Themes of Life
by dances.with.sunflowers
Summary: 02. Humor. "I mean, really. Sasuke. Honey. You know I’d love you even if you were bald and deranged.” Sasuke/Sakura one shot series.
1. irony

&this is DISCLAIMER'ed. so don't sue me. :P

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scene one!

-x-

_It's true, I was made for you.  
~brandi carlile, "the story"_

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"Ugh! You're ruining my life!" she shouted, her green eyes and pink hair the spitting image of her mother. Said mother looked at her with apathy.

"Oh, believe me, Rina, if your mother was trying to ruin your life, you'd know it. She happens to be pretty gifted in that area," Sasuke quipped in. His head was down and his back was stooped over a mission scroll lying in front of him. The paper crinkled under his fingertips as he scrawled something on the parchment.

"Ugh!" Rina threw her hands down, pink hair falling in her face. "You two aren't taking this seriously! You don't even care!" She glared at the two figures at the table before marching out the old-style Japanese doors. "I hope you two are happy with yourselves!"

After hearing the door slide shut (yes, _slide_ shut, because hello! _Uchiha_here. And they have manners.), Sakura gently took the pen out of Sasuke's hand and slid the scroll to her side of the table, swiftly filling in the rest of the details for him. She didn't lift her head as she said, "She's only eleven. Is it really that time already?"

Groaning softly as he backed away from scroll, Sasuke rubbed his throbbing temples. He rolled his eyes and studied her slightly crestfallen face. Sighing, he leaned backwards in his chair and let his head fall over the back.

Softly glaring, Sakura smacked his shoulder

-and Sasuke tried _really_ hard not to grimace-

and chuckled, "Fine, don't answer, but don't even start with wishing that she'd be more like Yuki, who just stopped talking altogether when he hit twelve. And _you_ don't mind if they all stop talking!"

Sasuke grunted and clumsily rubbed his offended shoulder. With a gruff glare, he replied, "Better than screeching little girls."

She sighed. Folding her arms thoughtfully, Sakura added, "Well, it's kind of a _girl_ thing. My mom was like my role model, and then I couldn't stand her, and then she was kind of sweet, and then we were best friends. Maybe it just repeats with every generation?"

"Good thing we only have one girl left, then. Hopefully, the boys won't be train wrecks," Sasuke noted with a trace of a drawl in his voice, still half amused despite his exhaustion at Sakura's reaction.

"Hey! You mean, _no_ girls left! Five kids is plenty! I am _done_!" Sakura protested, poking him repeatedly in the chest. "You're lucky you got five!"

Grabbing her hand, Sasuke pulled her into his lap. "That's what you think."

Sakura lightly scoffed and slid an arm around her husband's neck. "You just..." She paused, "_like kids._And really, why can't Rina just obsess over a nice boy at school instead? I'd prefer that over her dead-set on a tattoo, which, unless it's an ANBU tattoo, is _not_ever going to happen." She looked at Sasuke meaningfully for support on that subject. She got a tired, uninterested look in return and her hands instinctively found their way to his forehead, shimmering green with healing chakra.

Sasuke nudged his head into Sakura's hair, rubbing the side of his head against her short locks. His breath tickled her ear as he muttered, "Oh really? You think that'd be better?"

Her eyes opened in mischief and she turned to look him in the eye. "Well, it worked pretty well for me, wouldn't you say?"

His eyes closed by themselves as he leaned his lips centimeters away from hers, murmuring,

-

-

"Yeah. For the both of us."

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Irony

Because the best thing that had ever happened to him was the thing that pushed, clawed, and barged in uninvited.

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a/n.  
i _am accepting prompts_, people. i hope you enjoyed? i love reviews. :P

shameless advertisement for my own benefit: check out "the story" on my profile! XD or "refuge".


	2. humor

Summary- 02. _Humor. _"I mean, _really_. Sasuke. Honey. You _know_ I'd love you even if you were bald and deranged." Sasuke/Sakura one shot series! Acceptng prompts.

&you law suits, the STANDARD DISCLAIMER is APPLIED. ha _ha!_

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THEMES OF LIFE.

it's  
scene two!

-x-

_The only one I dream of, you're still the one I kiss goodnight  
~shania twain, "still the one"_

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"Hey…Sakura?"

"…hm?"

"…Why'd you marry me?"

After the initial "Are you kidding me?" face, Sakura snorted and turned her head toward her husband with an amused twinkle in her eye. "Let me get this straight, Sasuke. After five kids, twelve years of marriage, anniversaries, celebrations, parties, and dozens of get-togethers, _now_ you're asking me_ why I married you_?"

Blowing a roseate lock of her eyes, Sakura awaited his answer, looking up at him with her chin resting on his chest.

Sasuke slouched lower across the couch to give her more room while (_very_ _quietly_) muttering something about her being annoying; he pulled her closer and kissed her hairline. "Just answer the question for once, Sakura," he grunted out impatiently.

She huffed at his impatience and draped her arm over his torso, letting the appendage dangle over the side of the couch. "Seriously?" she prodded.

Her grin was satisfied as she heard Sasuke's low growl reverberate throughout his chest.

"Yes. _Seriously_."

Letting her knuckles loosely rub a spot on his side, Sakura contemplated before laughing impishly, "It was the money."

"Sakura. Seriously."

"…"

"………Sa…kura?"

"Oh, I'm just kidding, Sasuke!" she chuckled at his forlorn expression, only laughing harder as his aura changed from shocked, to sour, to a mix of annoyed and bitter. "Oh cool it; you'd think after years and years and years _and years_ of telling you that I love you, you'd finally get that through your thick, cute skull!" She wrinkled her nose and patted his head for added effect.

Frowning at her patronizing behavior, Sasuke lightly glared and looked away.

"Hey, stop sulking! I mean, _really_. Sasuke. Honey. You _know_ I'd love you even if you were bald and deranged."

…

"Comforting."

"Oh, I know."

"And you have _such_ a way with words, Sakura."

A wide smile spread over her lips and Sakura slid herself fully on top of him, eyes playfully taking in the picture of his

_(loving, gorgeous, amused, grumpy, adoring)_

face; raking her hands into Sasuke's spiky, black hair, she replied teasingly,

_Because they were both well aware why they married each other-_

"As do you, Sasuke. _As do you_."

_(lovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelove)_

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Humor

Before her, laughing was just in black and white pictures full of lying smiles and dead family members, in far away times, and _other people's_ lives. And he briefly mused how he couldn't think of one single day within the last twelve years when he hadn't smiled at least once.

Because she alone was something to smile about.

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a/n.  
XD

click the button.  
CLICK IT!


	3. conversation

&of course, the dreaded [standard disclaimer] is officially (unfortunately) [applied]. *sigh* i don't own naruto.

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scene three!

-x-

_Woman, open the door, don't let it sting, I wanna breathe that fire again.  
~the killers, "read my mind"_

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Whenever people told Sasuke that he didn't talk enough, it never occurred to him_ to just start talking_. For most anyone, if they were told they didn't talk nearly enough, they might make the effort to seem more approachable, maybe by the usual response of, _oh I don't know_, talking, perhaps.

But Sasuke, being not the average Joe, would merely grunt (because his vocabulary _did _contain such monosyllabic sounds as words –take that Webster). And if he were feeling generous, he might actually begin to pay attention to the mindless chatter that he silently pondered on whether or not anyone could withstand for more than a few minutes within the timeframe of a single sitting. To him, this inaudible response was more than satisfactory to the statement above, that it was a perfectly polite and acknowledging maneuver within the unfamiliar territory of the mysterious bounds of a thing Sasuke liked to call unnecessary, useless, worthless, and furthermore, not important enough to be on any civilized person's list of priorities.

This is also what we, apparently uncivilized persons, like to simply dub "conversation".

So despite his past experiences with loud blond(e)s, screeching mobs of overzealous females, and talkative pink haired girls, Sasuke was still unprepared and unequipped with the necessary skills to handle his current sticky situation.

"Hey, toots, how 'bout you and me have a little fun in the basement downstairs? Huh, huh?" Insert a suspicious wiggling of the eyebrows.

To give a proper setting of Sasuke's misfortune, it'd be ridiculous to exclude mentioning the dirty bar he was in, the (completely snockered) male stripper in front of him (so drunk that he was mistaking Sasuke for a cheap prostitute), a couple of laughing bartenders, and the object of his goal slouched in the back table of the farthest corner of the longest bar he's ever been in.

Glaring at the overweight, sloppy, grubby man blocking his way with a considerable amount of disgust, Sasuke side-stepped him in one quick motion. Not bothering to retort or _politely correct_ the man on his drunken mistake, he opted to swerve around the clumsily overturned chairs to reach the shaking blob of pink showing underneath the cloth of a dark hood.

Sighing in exhaust, Sasuke tapped her shoulder expectantly. "Sakura, come on, let's go."

Shaking in mirth, Sakura lifted her head up from her folded arms and looked at him, eyes twinkling, a sure sign that Sasuke did _not_ want to hear what she was about to say.

"Sure, _toots_."

Peeling over in laughter, Sakura clutched her sides and wiped her tearing eyes. She smacked his arm teasingly (noticing his already sour mood dampening several notches). "Lighten up, Sasuke. You're already doing a _great_ job of being a stick in the mud, so isn't that enough for now?"

Sasuke stuffed both his hands into the deep confines of his standard ANBU uniform and grunted loudly, only to cover up the massive sigh that was working its way upwards from the back of his throat, hardly seconds away from finding its way out. He offered a short explanation as he snatched the empty cup away from her: "You know you should stop drinking, Sakura, and you need to sleep."

"Hey, give that back!" whined Sakura, falling over his much taller form from her sitting position. "And I do not; I've pulled _way_ longer hours just at the hospital." Finally giving up on her lost drink, she plopped back down into her seat, letting her back hit the booth roughly.

Sasuke fought the creases that were steadily climbing onto his forehead while he set the cup on another table and turned to face her again. "Sakura, please. Let's go." His voice was bordering a whisper; the aftereffects of their mission seeping into his body much quicker than he would've preferred. The edges of his vision were blurry. He was so _tired._

Sakura laid her head back and stared at the ceiling. She hesitated before softly replying, "Why should I, Sasuke?"

He closed his eyes and felt every single ounce of fatigue he'd felt within the past three hours. Dragging a foot forward, Sasuke quietly dropped a hand on the table and let his head rest on the top of hers. "Look, I'm sorry." His voice was nearly inaudible to anyone other than her. He felt her sigh across his hairline and he rubbed his forehead into her feathery, short locks. "I shouldn't have gotten mad; it wasn't your fault and I'm sorry."

He met silence for a few moments, and he scrunched up his eyes subconsciously. Don't be mad still, please? he thought to himself.

She shifted beneath him, and he felt her lips pressed on his forehead. "It's okay." Sasuke pulled back and looked at her, the relief and sleepiness in his eyes blending into a single emotion. Leaning in, he kissed her before murmuring another apology.

He ran one of his hands through her rosette colored hair and chided her softly, "But you didn't have to go get yourself drunk just to get an apology, you know."

"Who said I got drunk?" Sakura chuckled deliriously to herself, laughing with a surprising bit of mischievousness as Sasuke quickly glanced at her fully alert eyes, confusion written all over his face. "Old habits are hard to break, yes, but I haven't had any alcohol for the past year, Sasuke; you know that."

Sasuke tugged her up onto her feet, muttering, "You're a sneak, Sakura," before gathering her into his arms, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair.

"Let's go already. I'm so tired," she heard him whisper into her ear. Sakura lightly laughed, resting her cheek against his vest. "If someone had've told me that Sasuke Uchiha was capable of becoming tired a year ago, I never would've believed them."

"Marrying you _keeps _me tired, Sakura. You never shut up long enough _for_ me to sleep," he hoarsely answered, amusement still audible through the thickness of his sleepy voice.

"Oh, please, you know you'd rather have me talking than quiet. Otherwise, you'd go the rest of your life without uttering a single word." Focusing the very last dregs of her chakra into her hand, Sakura placed the glowing green appendage on top of Sasuke's forehead, feeling the throbbing tension ease away from his temples. She rose up on her tiptoes and peeked under his nearly fully lidded onyx eyes. "Mm, can't fall asleep just yet, Sasuke. Wait 'till we get home, okay?"

He nodded limply and pulled his hands into stance, leaving the deserted bar with a silent puff of smoke.

* * *

Conversation

He'd never even been gifted in the area, and his whole life he had hated listening to pointless chatter. But he almost startled himself the day he realized that he'd rather listen to Sakura's random, constant chit chat than any other sound he could think of.

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a/n.  
thank you for all of the reviews, guys! i'm glad you're enjoying it, and the reviews really make my day. :D


	4. fear

&the standard disclaimer is applied.

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themes

o  
f

life.

scene four,  
readers!

-x-

_I __don't __believe __in __your __hate, __cause __these __scars __are __gonna __fade, __  
so __pour __me __out __like __water,__ and __soak__ me__ up __like __rain.__  
~thriving ivory, "runaway"_

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He didn't know why he looked in the first place. But somehow, he found himself standing still with the forest scenery seeming to shrink in around him and her lying body covered in slimy mud and winding trails of blood, lying motionless, dead. He felt the stares of his team showering over his back as he allowed his eyes to fixate on the gory scene in front of him.

There was a lack of any sound, no soft inhale or exhale, no shifting of the wind through the trees. Just the clearing of the woods for a mile around, a gaping hole claiming the land, ripped through and throughout. The trees held scars and the ground was wet with color, enhanced by the gray sky hanging low across the torn bodies. Gray and red, everything lay still and quiet.

Limbs and distorted faces littered the floor of the forest, turned and flipped and lying haphazardly, appendages backwards and thrown over the landscape. The fallen ninjas' red skin still throbbed with the aftereffects of the most modern soldier pills of the day; their bodies were about four times the size of any regular one's, tearing itself apart under the severe pressure of such a swift transformation.

He'd smelt the pungent stench of blood two miles away, and he regretted following the odor. The swelling of the still corpses gave him the instinct to cringe, so he averted his gaze elsewhere. He ran his systematic, calculating vision over the battleground, and he caught sight of a flicker of light red, so off from the running burgundy color that trickled further down into the forest floor. His eyes halted, stunned by the stained pink shade that met his stare.

And he robotically recognized the shocking, light cherry pink hair spread out on the soiled earth. And he _knew_ it was her, but he couldn't find any expression to satisfy his thoughts because he didn't have any.

Because she didn't fit the picture in any way, and he almost tried ignoring it, but the eye-catching color kept his gaze from moving. He blankly registered the shuffling of feet coming from behind him, but his mind occupied itself with the image of her figure lying on her back, as if she fell backwards from exhaustion, her face turned away towards the opposite side of the clearing, fists still curled, despite broken, bloodied fingers.

He heard the slight opening of one of team mate's mouths. He unclenched his shoulders enough to turn his head, but his eyes caused him to freeze in the motion. His back grew rigid. He watched the slight tick under the right side of her jaw, the contracting of the muscles in her neck as her head turned to face upwards at the sky. Her eyelids lowered, eyelashes dusting the tops of her cheekbones, and she let her head loll to the side. Her bright, shocking pink hair fell over some of her face. Smeared blood covered the top of her forehead and made a trail on one side of her hairline, but _startling_ green eyes stared through him with intensity, almost pulsing with the hypnotic beating of her heart.

And the bright green of her eyes even overshadowed the bright pink of her hair so much he felt himself daze for a moment. She stared at him with a mirage of countless thoughts and emotions. Or none at all; it was one of the two, at least. Either one, he didn't know what she was thinking, and it scared him somewhat, because he'd never dealt with change well and maybe finding her not so weak anymore and not so emotional anymore was too much for the scenery already, so he did what he always did and postponed what he knew he'd eventually have to face.

So he left. Without any _thank you_'s or any _I love you_'s because it really wasn't the time, and because he still couldn't think up any words from the startling green-eyed gaze fogging up his thoughts.

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Fear

Because he'd never, ever admit it, but all he knew was revenge and hate, and maybe he just wasn't quite ready to know anything more.

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a/n.  
like it?  
tell me in a review! :P


	5. complacency

_&consider that disclaimer SO applied!_

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THEMES  
OF  
LIFE

it's (what?)  
it's scene five!

-x-

_I fly like paper, get high like planes.  
~m.i.a., "paper planes"_

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She was amazed.

_Utterly_ amazed.

She felt the incredulous twitch of the corner of her lips rise into a disbelieving smile. But no one could be good at everything, you know? So, really, _why_ exactly was she surprised that there was something _he_ couldn't do?

Probably the same reason Naruto was incapacitated on the floor.

She bit the inside of her lip as she muffled her laughter behind her hand. It was least she could do. Because Naruto had _no_ sympathy for Sasuke's steadily dwindling pride.

And Sasuke looked positively _murderous_.

Well, as murderous as anyone could look with finger-paint on their face and a hoola-hoop around their feet, anyway.

"You!" Naruto burst into hysterics again, "look _ridiculous!_" He rolled around, clutching his sides, as he howled in laughter.

"Shut up, _dobe_."

Maybe she shouldn't be laughing. Because well, …-well, _sure_, it wasn't his fault, _really._ But babysitting missions were just _so_ easy with Sasuke around.

He was popular with the little girls (hence the finger-paint).

And Sasuke looked on the verge of pouting. His glaring wasn't dimming Naruto's enjoyment.

Sakura hid her face behind her hair, her composure cracking under her smile. He glared her way next, but it only made her shoulders shake more.

She wasn't going to make it.

Naruto lifted his head up and pulled on her dress, "S-Sakura!" He paused, laughing, "Sasuke-teme –chortle chortle- can't –guffaw-"

She pursed her lips to keep from laughing, but they trembled and let out a feeble giggle here and there.

Naruto had draped his arms across her waist and chocked out the rest,

"-_he can't hoola-hoop!"_

Yep, she didn't make it.

And poor Sasuke's fists were all balled up and threatening looking…

and ignored.

"_Shut up."_

That only made it worse. Sakura had collapsed on Naruto's back in a fit of giggles, wiping tears from her eyes. She waved her hand at him. "N-No, it's okay, Sasuke-k-kun, I'm sure lots of ninjas can't- _hoola hoop_!"

His inky black hair fell into his face and she heard a low string of curses.

_Usually_, she'd disapprove of that kind of language, but really.

He had a finger-painted _**heart.**_ On his cheek.

How could she possibly yell at that?

And besides, Naruto was having too much fun.

She'd just make it up to Sasuke later.

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Complacency

Sasuke would just have to lighten up. Because honestly. Who _couldn't_ laugh at that?

* * *

a/n.  
my first prompt fic! "hoola-hoop" from choclatechip-freak!

and MERRY CHRISTMAS, you guys! thanks so much for everything!


	6. choices

&yadayada disclaimer is applied yadayada.

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themes of life.

-x-

scene  
six

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Oxygen hit the vacant space in his chest with a disarming reaction of both desperation and indifference. The air flooded into his lungs like the drug of an addiction- tempting, sweet, and nearly unbearable. His eyelids remained stubbornly locked into place, sealed together in the effort of refusing him his vision, so that he became acutely aware of his other four senses.

His mouth slightly parted. The first thing to occur to him was the tangy, metallic taste of the air. Next was the pungent smell to accompany the taste, filling his nostrils rapidly. Wisely, he began taking inventory of his limbs and checking his movements in response to that familiar scent. He ran the rough tips of his fingers over the scarce blades of grass and the reality of the situation suddenly came too clear. Red filled under his eyelids as his memory flooded into his mind.

Sasuke snapped his eyes open, blurrily glancing at the sky before craning his neck to see the craters and bodies he knew would be there. He didn't like to admit it, but he'd never in his life seen anything so utterly destroyed. There was no way to describe it; the earth was torn up as if it had split open and violently cracked itself to pieces. The sight was both mind-numbing and-

His fingers instinctively twitched. The sound had him jerking upwards into a sitting position, kunai poised to kill. Sasuke swept a calculating gaze over the area and landed on the source of the sound. He expected her to make a joke and laugh _for him_, something like, "Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you. Next time, I'll remember to not breathe too loudly around you, Sasuke."

He slipped the kunai back into the pouch strapped to his thigh and waited for her tinkling voice to reach his ears.

He felt his head cock to the side slightly when a pregnant silence followed. Was she okay? His feet subconsciously slid forward to walk to her, even after he recognized the rise and fall of her chest. She was on her back, eyes thoughtfully staring at the overcast sky. Sasuke shifted his body toward hers, worriedly studying the streaks of blood across her face and hair…her hands were covered in it all the way up to her elbows. Her eyelids flitted closed in a weary sigh that escaped past those soft, pink lips. She opened her mouth and her voice was like a whispered groan:

"It was harder than I'd thought it'd be, you know…" She paused, letting her blood-covered pink head tilt to the side, motioning at her right where seven bodies lay neatly beside each other.

"I mean, you know how… divers have to pick who lives and dies… I know what that's like, but it was so much different when each face is familiar and all equally dying…

"They're all stable now, but Kiba and Ino will need a month of rehabilitation, at least. I didn't get to them fast enough…"

She wanted reassurance. That she did more than enough and that she shouldn't feel as if she failed anyone…even he knew that. But somehow, Sasuke couldn't say a word.

He snorted and tore his eyes away from her. It sounded harsh and uncaring, but how could he answer something like that? She looked even worse than when she left the hospital after double shifts. Didn't she know that medics don't always save everybody? And there Sakura was, pasted in blood, and probably so drained of chakra, unable to move…

* * *

Choices

He always wondered _why in the world_, she, _of all people_, was a _medic ninja_. Sure, she has the remarkable chakra control and the memory built to house millions of facts that determine who and how many live. But really,_ Sakura_? A medic ninja? People who live and breathe death would have to be more emotionally detached than she was. But hearing her say that made him realize why she was very likely the best medic ninja alive.

Because if he was dying, he'd sure as hell want Sakura in all her determination and heart-felt tears to be the one trying to save him.

* * *

a/n.  
happy early Valentine's, people! :D


	7. partiality

&disclaimer is applied  
&take that, potential suers. heh. :P

* * *

_themes of life_

hope you enjoy:  
!scene seven!

* * *

Sakura Haruno. Pink-haired, green-eyed Sakura Haruno was constantly doing a random assortment of things for her village.

She happily did everything she was able to do because of her faithfulness and love for Konoha. A construction worker needed some help loading three tons of wood into a warehouse? No problem. There's an injured ninja and the hospital's understaffed? _Why_ didn't you tell her sooner?

But the most common favor she graciously accepted is perhaps the most random.  
Everyone always asked her to help them move. Because could you imagine having a carry-on Tsunade to tug around your gold-gilded cherry wood coffee table around for you? _Heck yeah._

The only downfall was that you'd have to put up with loud music for however long you needed her services. Which considering she's doing it for free, it isn't too much of a hassle. Frankly, Sakura was robbing the manual labors of Konoha of a large percentage of their jobs just by being nice.

But Sasuke was not one to sit by and watch a _girl _move _his _stuff _for him. _Women are the weaker sex and like hell would a woman be able to handle it better than he could. But Sasuke should've known better, because _his _business _is _her business.

So when she showed up in that little white dress with a boom box, why did he sigh and roll his eyes?

* * *

Slurp.

Tap. Tap. Gurgle.

SLURP. Cough. Tap. Gulp.

"Naruto, can you consume that artery-clogging soup elsewhere?"

"Sasuke," gulp "it is not _just soup _and personally, I pity you for not" slurp "having the love of the God-given food" sluuuuurp "that is ramen."

"Whatever, dobe."

"Believe it, teme."

Sasuke turned around and slid a box from the trailer to throw it on the ground. "So are you going to sit there and get fat all day or, _oh_, actually fulfill your purpose for being here?"

Naruto leaned back on the stone steps and waved a hand dismissively. His orange overalls had comical paint stains on them and he rearranged the hat on his head. "Oh come on, Sasuke, you know I can't help your scrawny ass if I don't get my daily ramen."

Sasuke snorted, popping his head over his shoulder in distinct doubt. The shadows from the house played patterns on his face, hiding his arched, incredulous eyebrow. "_Daily _ramen? That suggests once a day, and Ichiraku's isn't staying open by your eating ramen _once_ a day."

"Technically, Sasuke, I didn't say once."

"Just get over here."

Naruto grumbled something while he heaved himself up to the railing. His ears perked up to soft footsteps and he abandoned his victimized ramen on the doorstep to bound towards the edge of the house.

"Sakura! I thought you were in Sand; how'd you know Sasuke was moving?" Naruto yelled into her ear as he enveloped her into a bear hug.

Sakura chuckled and shifted to balance the massive CD player while returning his crushing hug. She pulled back and smacked him on the arm. "Naruto, you dunce, I got back yesterday!"

He scratched the back of his head. "Eh heh, yeah, I know that!"

"Sure, sure." She yanked the boom box onto her shoulder and glanced at Sasuke. "Hey, where can I put this?"

Sasuke kicked a box into a pile of the others and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He reeked of being miffed. "What are you doing here, Sakura?" Exasperation leaked into his voice.

Something about the innocent tilt of her head seemed to Sasuke to be hiding a teasing smirk. He narrowed his eyes. She had her very best taken-aback look as she sweetly sent a concerned glance his way and apologized. She wafted a tender hand to her chest and choked out, "Oh, I'm not supposed to be here?"

Oh, she was up to something, all right. And he just _knew _it.  
And cue Naruto falling for it like a five year old.

"No, no, Sakura! You're _always _welcome; Sasuke's just being an ass. He doesn't want to admit he needs help with all this."

Sasuke huffed and muttered how he _did not _need help moving _his own_ stuff.

"No, it's okay. I don't mind helping; I'll take care of the_ heaviest _things for you, Sasuke-_kun_," her muffled giggles following her into the house as she said so.

She skipped through the doorway and disappeared into the eaves' shadows; Sasuke rolled his head to the side and glared at Naruto's dumbfounded expression.

"What, what'd I do?"

He turned around and pulled another neatly taped box out of the trailer and set it on top of the pile.

"What, you don't want Sakura helping you move? She always helps everyone move."

Not a second later, _really loud _music drifted (assaulted) their ears. Sakura hopped down the doorstep, the hem of her dress bouncing around her knees, and winked at Sasuke. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a girl showing you up, Sasuke?"

* * *

Two and a half hours later of listening to Sakura sing badly to loud music, Sasuke flopped –_nobly placed himself_- onto the couch, draping his leg over the arm. The sun sank low into the horizon and light streamed across the wood floors at odd angles. Naruto occupied the other chair, snoring impressively loud.

Sasuke let his head dangle over the opposite arm and looked at the upside-down image of his living room. His eyes fluttered shut slowly, thick eyelashes covering the tops of his high cheekbones, until curiosity nagged at the smooth lines on his forehead.

He opened his eyes again and looked around at the strange setting of his furniture. He'd specifically remembered putting the couch by the window… Hm.

Little pitter-patters climbed down his stairs and he lifted himself into the sitting position. He caught a flash of white and pink leaping around the corner and into the kitchen. Suspiciously, Sasuke looked around the room and noticed all the newly arranged furniture.

Silently, he treaded into the kitchen and peeked around the wall adjacent to the kitchen.

Flowers! _Flowers!  
__Flowers _were on his kitchen table. _In a vase!_

Needless to say, Sasuke does not tolerate flowers in his house. Especially those in girly vases. He stepped into the kitchen with his hands set on his hips and craned his neck to search for Sakura.

He heard her bare feet padding toward the back porch and whirled around to catch her. She might be able to lift an elephant over her head (with _one _hand!), but he was much faster. Sasuke's arms flew around her tiny waist and the scent of tulips reached his nose. Her surprisingly soft arms pushed against his as Sakura laughed and tried to escape his grip. "It's only a little bit of flowers. Would it kill you to brighten things up?"

He blew into her hair, "Possibly. This is why you don't let women help you move. You've rearranged everything."

"Well, Sasuke-dear, you don't put a couch by the window because it fades out the _color_." She brushed her back against his front while she wriggled this way and that.

"Mm-hm, and moving the couch included curtains I have never seen before and a coffee table I strangely don't remember having and –what's that?" He broke off mid-sentence to stare outside of the room.

Sakura stifled a ticklish laugh as Sasuke moved his head beside hers to motion to the back porch. His hair swept over her cheek. "Uh, what? I don't see anything."

"Sure, you don't. You _don't _see the canvas, easel, and stool sitting on my porch?"

She chuckled nervously. She meant to be out of his house before he saw it. Cheekily, she smiled and turned to look at him, "Actually, _I _see a charming stream that overlooks a large portion of Konoha. See how the light hits the corner of the tree line at a sixty degree angle? It's very-"

"I don't paint, Sakura."

"Well, I suppose that's true; _you _don't paint-"

"But you do, and you plan to bombard me at all times of the day to take advantage of _my_ sixty degree angle lighting?"

"And people say you're dense."

Despairingly, Sasuke sighed. He studied the rooms he could see and figured that it really could've been much worse. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and knew that she wouldn't be the one to give up.

Sakura sensed his resigned thoughts and bit back a victorious smile. Spinning around in his arms, she was careful not to be too close. She slanted her head up to his and allowed some faint pleading into her voice. "I don't suppose you'd let me paint the kitchen though, would you?"

Her little white dress hung against her small frame and her hair brushed her bare shoulders. Sasuke hadn't realized that his arms were still around her when half of a smirk formed itself on his face.

* * *

Partiality

After all, Sasuke never really would admit that he had a soft spot for Sakura.

* * *

a/n.  
weird, this is the longest ficlet for this, i think. anywho, i hope everyone liked this; please tell me what you think! and prompts are still welcome! the next chapter will be posted next week (the next two are really short).


	8. compromise

&d_i**s**_c_l_**a**i_m**e**_r _a**p**_p_l_**i**e_d_&

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$_scene _EIGHT$

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"Oh quit it, Sasuke."

"…"

"Okay, _now_ you're just being difficult."

Grunt.

…

"Would you just- oh, I can't believe you just did that! That's not even fair!!"

"…"

"…"

"…I never _said I was fair._"

"…"

"...what, I didn't."

"Oh, come _on, _just give it back."

"No."

"…"

"…"

"Look, as much as I love the glare contest, Sasuke, this recipe _calls_ for guava juice."

"Hn."

"I can't swap guava juice for tomato juice in a _'Guava Sensation'_."

"…you _can't?_"

"Yes, Sasuke, I suppose I _could, _but then it wouldn't be guava at all and that's specifically what I was asked to bring."

"Who gives a damn about what _the dobe wants_ you to bring?"

"…"

"…"

"Are you going to give it back already?"

"…"

"…Of course I _could_ beat it from you."

…

"…hn."

"Oh, are we back to that already?"

"…"

"Hm. I definitely see your point there, Sasuke. Ellipses. Clever."

"…"

"God, Sasuke, can you just kindly give me the guava back and be on your way?"

"…"

"Pretty please? With a tomato on top?"

"A tomato on top of a figurative _please_. Less appetizing than you intended."

…

"Am I even supposed to answer that?"

"…"

"…"

Sigh

"…-mmph!"

"…"

"…you know what?_ Fine_, I give up. We'll bring the damn tomato soup."

_

* * *

_

Compromise

In every healthy relationship, compromising is a key quality. Because after all, no two people agree on everything. Which proves interesting when Sasuke happens to be a number of things. Stubborn, cocky, selfish, rude? All check's.

But mean for the heck of it? Not _really_. He just happens to be very talented at the art of _persuasion- _and _w_hen Sasuke compromised, Sakura _rarely_ had any complaints.

* * *

_a/n.  
_I felt like doing an all-dialogue skit. Was it totally lame?  
prompt please! _ahem:_ guava juice vs. tomato juice (thank you, Tip Of The Top Hat!)

And the -mmph! was Sasuke cutting her off with a kiss, in case that wasn't clear.  
So I posted another short chapter because I would feel bad if I just posted some five hundred words. ^_^

Please review! And click to the next chapter! And review again! lol


	9. cuddles

& disclaimer applied &

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!scene nine!  
~woo hoo~_

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…

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…?

She felt a strange nudging at her side. And a really warm body behind her. An arm wrapped around her waist and suspicion evolved into suppressed giggles.

She _knew_ he was sick. She could sympathize and relate on that level because he was in a vulnerable state. A state in which she of course would help him and supply him with medical expertise because that lazy, cocky little twit _refused!_ to go to hospital –I mean, really, who does he think he is? That he's better than the rest of the entire population of Konoha, seriously-

_Anyway._

Back to the point. Because dare she say it, dare she even utter such words or even think them, but this was a time to be recognized, acknowledged, and dated. Bring out the history books, people.

Sasuke.  
_Uchiha.  
_Was cuddling.

Of free-will and not just accepting the inevitable.

Of course she could be rational and you know, _rationalize _the situation and realize that hey, he's got a one hundred two fever and is really incapacitated at the moment.

But a little girlish part of her just liked to settle for the reason that _secretly_, Sasuke enjoyed cuddling.

So while Sasuke was unaware of his actions, he worsened Sakura's thoughts. She felt his head by her neck and his fingers tracing patterns on her stomach, and she happily concluded,

Yep, Sasuke secretly liked to cuddle with her.

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(And she was sort of right if you think about it, because Sasuke's _never truly _unaware of what he's doing, right?)

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Cuddles

Admit it, Sasuke. We all know you like it.

* * *

Please review,  
_~dances.'  
_I couldn't resist. And you know you laughed. ;) The next few should be longer, by the way. I just wanted to go ahead and post these.

And should I change the summary to this one's? Or do you like the old one?  
_(Pssssssst, check out "Refuge" on my profile page, eh?)_


	10. abandonment

&dis-clai-mer is _applied_!  
&special thanks to: **sillyangelxo** for being the 100th reviewer of "Themes of Life"! Thanks a bunch!

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S

C

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The big one-oh guys! :D

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The faded hardwood floors whined as the rocking chair creaked back and forth, back and forth. Rain pitter-pattered against the windows, following the fierce storm that had hit the village a few hours ago. Faint shouts accompanied the distant cracks of thunder; men scurried in and out of the houses.

The soles of her ninja shoes scraped across the floor's length as she shuffled toward the window. Water dripped off her into scattered puddles and formed rounded beads on the wide sill she moved to sit on. Her back hit the side of the window pane and she groaned in relief. Rhythmic and loud, her breathing puffed out her mouth with each pant. Her shirt glued itself to her skin -itchy, wet, and uncomfortable.

"Naruto…he here yet?"

Her head rocked to the side, staring through the glass after she asked.

"No, the men needed help moving the bodies."

She nodded and her head sank to her chest from the movement, lying limping against the cool glass.

"You should change."

Water clung to her pale skin, running off the rising goose bumps and creating larger puddles. Sakura sighed and clutched her arms around her soaked waist.

"Yeah."

She didn't move, though.

Sasuke sat in the corner, a mass of dark limbs. His hair was matted over his eyes, blood still peeking through his disheveled locks. His fingers were clasped over his knees and she strangely couldn't make herself look him in the eye. Something about him was so intense after he had come back to Konoha.… It unnerved her to be around someone who wouldn't miss anything.

"Hey,… have they found him?"

He slid his leg up and balanced his elbow on top of it, looking out the doorframe. His moves were so calculated and steady, Sakura thought. Things he did made her wonder if he could read minds; he always looked away right when she started feeling too watched, too observed.

"No."

"Hm."

Silence.

What else _was_ there to say?

She'd been through this before, with more important people even. She wanted to think that it wouldn't hurt any.

The rain picked up into a shower. Watching the drops pelt the window, Sakura laid her cheek flat against the pane, the cold prickling at her skin. She felt Sasuke's eyes return to her face, hard and searching.

Sasuke studied the paleness in her skin. Her breathing was still loud, her arms and legs limp, her body still jerking and twitching in chills. It reminded him of dark, damp rooms filled with metal shelves and a droning voice, chanting medical theories and jutsus and possibilities, _oh, the possibilities._ And ever since he returned, Sasuke had begun to think that maybe, all the speculation he heard from Kabuto was true. That chakra really might be what made people alive…

Sakura turned her head, regarding his silence with mild interest, and shut her eyes. He watched her body relax, all her muscles simultaneously releasing. Her chakra flow flickered and receded far back, like a tide pulling in from the shore. Sasuke snapped his head up, considering the rise and fall of her chest as her chakra plummeted past severe depletion. Then it just, grew back, like the fall was almost a great big yawn in her energy. Maybe it was.

But he thought, what if chakra really was life? And Sakura shivered more. Her skin glowed in the room with sickly clamminess, shining with water. Her hands fell off her lap and woke her up from her light sleep with the change of balance. With sleepy, vaguely curious, apple green eyes, Sakura peered at him through a haze of unusual fatigue. Cold settled into her chest cavity and her veins felt so heavy, but she was so tired… She didn't want to move…

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Hospital monitors woke her up next, combined with the familiar crack of thunder. Sakura parted her lips, gulping in the fresh air. She rolled her head to the side and expected the horizontal view of one of Konoha's rooms, saturated in the scent of strong chemicals. But she opened her eyes and instead saw a single hospital bed with its pillow covered in spiky blond locks. Naruto snored in rhythmic, lulling breaths; Sakura looked out through the window and recognized the same scenery. Still Rain Country. Darkness cloaked the cramped room except for the shaft of light illuminating from the crack in the doorway. Warmth pooled against her thigh and she turned her head to the left, meeting a head of soft black hair.

Sasuke inhaled and exhaled peacefully, his body rocking from the motion. He licked his lips in his sleep and let his head fall backwards, mouth parted. A wool blanket scratched at her arms and a cold cloth slipped off her forehead when she moved upright. A pounding headache sprouted up behind her eyelids and in her temples, and she squeezed her eyes shut in pain. Blinking her eyes back open, she picked up the cloth with her right hand. Sasuke grunted in his sleep and shifted on the lumpy couch. Sakura wrinkled her forehead up and felt her pulse, beating steady through the thin skin of her neck.

She was mostly certain she had gone into slight shock from chakra depletion. She looked at Sasuke again and small smile curved up her lips at his relaxed face. It was nice having someone who had some medical knowledge. She wasn't sure how much he had learned while he was with Kabuto, but he hadn't seemed to have missed much besides actually using medical chakra.

The door creaked. It pushed open and an old woman with black hair, peppered with silver streaks, peeked into the black room. The light made Sakura squint, but she tried to clear her voice for the woman.

"Ma'am, do you know if anyone's heard of the other ninja who was with us?"

The woman's breath hitched when Sakura spoke. She shuffled in the doorway.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Miss, I thought you were all asleep. No one's heard of your friend; is something wrong? What's happened?"

Sakura wrapped the blanket tighter around her arms. The woman's name was Chihiro; she was the lady that offered to house them while they were there, but she didn't like the villagers knowing about their team.

"Nothing really. Just a complication with the border work we were doing. Don't worry about it, Mrs. Chihiro."

"Oh, …alright then. Sleep well."

Chihiro stumbled in the doorway, nervously mumbling another goodbye. Sakura cringed; she didn't want to make her uncomfortable, but it was hard not to with civilians in general. The door quietly shut closed, erasing all the light except what was filtering through under the door.

Sighing, she shivered inside the wool. Naruto rolled over to his side and his patched face stared at her. Had Naruto run into him?

His snoring continued and she tucked her calves under her, wriggling farther inside the blanket. Sasuke head's nodded off the back of the couch. Lying on his cheek, he murmured something incoherent, his arms pulling closer to his sides. Tentatively, she pulled the wool blanket away from her and edged it around him, feeling him relax with the heat.

His soft inhales and exhales were comforting, something steady when everything was so chaotic. Wistfully, she sighed again and placed her chin on his shoulder, ducking her face into the warmth radiating off him. The rain drizzled into nothing, finally fading into the quiet sounds of the night.

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"Nowhere?"

"Not…exactly."

"…they've found him?"

"…Yeah, they have. Danzo up and left, along with everyone in Root. He's been spotted with them."

"…"

"…Sakura…are you…okay?"

"Yeah, Naruto. It's nothing I haven't been through before."

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Thump, _thump_, thump.  
Thump, _thump_, thump.

"I think you're okay."

Sakura took her hand away from his pulse and leaned back, off the side of the bed. She propped herself against the corner of the table and folded her arms across her chest. Naruto stared at her like she was the one on the hospital bed.

"I asked Sasuke if you were okay. He didn't say anything, but…what happened?"

Naruto shifted on top of the crisp, white sheets. He didn't fit in with hospitals and illnesses and sick people; it was like he knew that, and his body wasn't ever at ease in hospitals… It was so hard to hospitalize him sometimes.

Sakura turned her head and looked out that same window. The clouds were puffy and gray, but it wasn't raining, and for that, she was glad. She had had enough of rain. Enough of the country, too.

"Not much. I might have gone into a little shock from chakra depletion, but it wasn't bad."

Sakura shrugged as she said so. Holding her arms closer against her chest, talking about everything with Naruto was the last thing she wanted. He was too caring. Too caring for anyone to move on without talking about something. It seemed like her whole team made it hard on her to be strong. Or maybe it was that being strong wasn't what she was doing.

"That's your problem, Sakura. You think that because you've dealt with it before, you can do it again. I know that there are some things that have happened to me that I might've gotten through once, but I don't know if I could do it again."

"Don't… tell me that. You, of all people, Naruto, are the one person who I need to hear say that if you can do it once, you can do it again. You don't choose what happens in life. You deal with it however you can."

The beeping from the machines skipped a beat, then quickened.

"It shouldn't be like that, Sakura."

"But it is."

Silence enveloped the room and Sakura sighed, letting her head fall upwards against the wall. She still felt heavy and dull, as if she'd been underwater for a long time.

The door slid open smoothly, Sasuke standing between the room and the hall outside. Heaving herself onto her own feet, Sakura pushed off the wall and laid a hand on Naruto's hot forehead. She laid her other hand on the top of his head, ruffling his hair as she tried to smile.

"C'mon. That's enough for now. We're leaving tomorrow and you need to sleep."

The scars on his face twitched as he contorted his facial features, trying to find the right expression, the right thing to say. The door shut closed before he had the chance.

"Has Tsunade sent anything else?"

Pausing outside the door, Sakura looked up at Sasuke. The rich wood gleamed in red hues, shining off the iridescent light streaming in from the tall windows. The halls in the old-fashioned lord's house were as dead as they were silent. The machine's beeping eerily suited the place.

"No."

She slipped her hand off the doorknob. She felt like asking. And strangely, she thought she could mange it. She had had enough of taboo names in her life.

"What are the chances… Do you think we'll run into Sai on the way back?"

"It's a good possibility."

"Hm."

"Naruto," Sasuke paused as he started. Which was so uncharacteristic of him. She glanced up at him warily. "He thinks Sai might come back. Eventually."

Tragedy was an interesting thing. It brought people together in the sense that they all have a common problem. Maybe even a common grief. But it still surprised her that Sasuke had an expression on his face… that closely resembled Naruto's. She raised her eyes to his and tried to smile at his effort.

"No, I don't think so, Sasuke. As much as he was meant to be, he's not you, and I don't think he ever intends to come back."

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"What are going to do, _Sakura_? Hit an old teammate?"

"No, Sai. I'm going to kill you."

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* * *

Abandonment

Blood. Blood was everywhere -on the trees, on the ground, on her clothes, on her face- leaving slippery black streams pooling on the forest floor. Ink blackened the blood, thickened its consistency. It stuck in clumps in her hair and smeared across his stretched smile…

Every time she looks at a picture and sees his face, she flinches knowing that he'd rather have committed treason than have stayed with them.

* * *

a/n.  
I am alive! Shocking, I know. So, readers (my favorite people in the whole wide world), how did you like it? Eh? The next one's kind of serious like this, but then I'll probably throw in a mushy, funny one.

rrrrrrrrreview? would be much appreciated. :D  
pea ess: check out 'refuge', my amazing people.


	11. promises

_scene xi._

* * *

Morning was shedding its first rays on the village.

Sasuke shuffled to the table and sat down with a reluctant _plop_. His eyes landed blankly on the wood surface and stayed there. Kakashi was beside him, looking fairly alive, still reading his porn. Naruto, on the other hand, sat slouched. His snores were obnoxious. But then again, Sasuke thought, Naruto _was_ obnoxious.

Sasuke glared as another snore erupted from Naruto.

The sound was an odd mix with Sakura's singing in the background. Chipper and bright and warm, her voice tinkled from the kitchen, singing along with the radio. Raking his hand through his still disheveled hair, Sasuke grunted and leaned forward. He laced his fingers together in front of his face and prepared to sleep while he could.

A few footsteps padded daintily on the linoleum; Sasuke opened his eyes, frowning.

"Babies! I thought I had men on my team!" Sakura popped her hands on top of her hips and eyed her teammates.

Sasuke sat back and laced his fingers over his stomach, instead. His hair was falling into his eyes, and Naruto's snoring made it even harder to stay awake. Of course, Sakura's experience with handling little to no sleep had to be taken into account. They were babies compared to her, in that respect. Sakura huffed and marched over to Naruto, pausing before delivering a heavy-handed whack to his head. Naruto's hands flew to his head and cradled it. "Oww, Sakura-chan! That hurt!"

"Sleeping on the job. Shame on you," Sakura chided, half-serious, half-joking. Rolling her eyes, she slipped back into the kitchen and reappeared moments later, holding a pot of food.

Sasuke eyed it with distaste. He could smell it. "We're having ramen?" Didn't they already have one too many ramen freaks on their team? he thought.

Sakura bounced up a little after setting it down. "Naruto's orders. I figured I should keep him happy." She smiled and turned to Sasuke. "How you are feeling? Still sick?" Her hand was cool and soft against his forehead.

"Terrible." Sasuke thought she looked a little surprised at his blunt answer. And it was true. He felt _terrible. _She took her hand away, and he missed the cold. Feverish heat settled back into his temples, and he wanted to groan.

"I think I have something. Hold on a sec." Briskly, she strode into another room, and he could hear her rummaging around through her various packs. Sasuke let his head loll backwards, and he laughed to himself. The living room was covered in medical supplies. And he had thought she carried a lot with her normally. The mission they'd been sent on required three weeks worth of medical attention (enter Sakura) and recon. Sakura looked like a pack horse when they left Konoha. Weight made no difference to her, so bags were strapped around back, hips, stomach, and legs. Standing tall, she received quite a few strange looks.

Naruto's snoring started up again, and Sasuke heard both a laugh from Kakashi and an "Aha!" from Sakura.

She walked in front of him with two white pills lying in her hand. Sasuke took them without further prodding and immediately felt some of the pain in his head go away. "Better?" she asked, her head tilted in front of his, smiling as always. Morning was her time of day.

Nodding, Sasuke shifted in his seat and ran his hand through his hair for the second time. Without any warning, his hand started to numb, and Sasuke opened his eyes to stare. Vaguely, he heard Kakashi ask what was wrong and Sakura answering, "He has to sleep. That poison's nothing to take lightly."

Then everything faded into perfect darkness and silence.

* * *

Something shifted to his right. Sasuke felt himself slowing waking up, and he tried to hear more, but everything was quiet. He opened his eyes and jerked into a sitting position. Black was all he could see until shapes started to form inside the darkness. His vision adjusted, and he looked around his room. Sighing, Sasuke slid his legs to his right; and instead of meeting the floor, his legs stopped against something soft and warm.

Eyebrows rising, Sasuke glanced down at the messy mop of pink hair on top of one of the pillows. He frowned and nudged her shoulder. "Sakura. Wake up." What was she doing in his bed? "Sakura," he tried again.

She moved her legs around and answered, mumbling, "Sasuke-kun?"

The moonlight danced across her arms. Sasuke looked toward the window and wondered if she was the one who had opened it. "Wake up, Sakura."

"Alright, alright." Waving his hand away, Sakura sat up in bed and folded her legs Indian-style. She rubbed her eyes and stared at him through the sheet of darkness. "Sasuke-kun? What are you doing in my bed?" After a moment, she added, "Am I dreaming?"

Sasuke snorted. "No. And you're in my bed."

She blinked a few more times before it registered. "Oh!" she exclaimed. Wide-eyed, she started padding the sheets and her shorts, looking for something. "I didn't mean to, I was giving you a shot..." She picked up an empty syringe.

"Do you normally fall asleep when giving people shots?"

"_No. _I was just tired. Sue me. I wasn't the one who slept all day."

"You made me sleep all day," Sasuke replied, rolling his eyes even though she couldn't see it.

"And you got hit with poison senbon, so we're even." Sakura reached up to his forehead and yawned. "Fever's broken, though."

Then why did he still feel like he was on fire? When Sakura looked back at him, Sasuke realized he had said that out loud.

"You'll feel better by tomorrow." Her body was warm and silky as she slid next to him in a hug. Her arms wrapped around his neck; her breath tickled his ear. "I promise," she added. When she leaned back, she started to unfold her legs, about to leave.

"Just... stay here. Might as well." Sasuke muttered the end, trying to rationalize what he wanted. The poison was having its own effects on him; he'd had the strangest nightmares since it happened. He told himself that he really just didn't want to be alone.

Her eyes were clear and bright, despite the lack of lighting. "Okay," she answered. The bed sunk down as she moved back under the covers and curled onto her side. Sasuke hesitated before he lay back down, and she laughed. He turned his head toward her, and her chesire cat grin widened. "What were you dreaming about before?"

He remembered the nightmares...? That didn't seem to be what she was talking about, though. Sasuke coughed and asked, "Why? ...What?"

She only laughed, the sort of laugh she had when she was really satisfied or amused. Sasuke frowned, not remembering anything. "Don't wonder about it. I won't tell anyone!" Sakura answered, scooting up to his arm and promptly falling asleep.

* * *

Promises

Promises didn't mean anything to Sasuke. No matter how noble someone might be, no one can control circumstance. Sometimes, things just happen, and Sasuke knew that well. Sakura, on the other hand, was a strong believer in following through with her promises. She smiled as she promised he would feel better. He closed his eyes and woke up feeling better than he had in weeks. And he wasn't even surprised.

"I promise, Sasuke," she had said to him once. "And when I promise you something, damn it, you're going to get it whether you think so or not."

In an odd way, he liked that kind of reassurance.

* * *

a/n. wooww. it's been some time since i've updated this... if you're still sticking with this, you have my eternal gratitude, haha!

hey, guess what. you should click on my profile and look at my brand spanking new story, **Variance**. :)


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